


A Lesson in Swinging

by Seraph_Novak



Series: Tyrus One-Shots [15]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Cute, Holding Hands, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Misunderstandings, One Shot, Supportive Cyrus, Tyrus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 04:50:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16010639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraph_Novak/pseuds/Seraph_Novak
Summary: Fic request ~ When TJ confesses to 'swinging a different way', Cyrus mistakenly believes that TJ is talking about the swings... Until he comes out to him, and awkwardness ensues.





	A Lesson in Swinging

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Yet another sappy Tyrus fic here... I hope you enjoy!
> 
> As always, all comments and kudos are very much appreciated :) ♥
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://seraph-novak.tumblr.com)

Usually, TJ came to the swings to escape reality for a couple hours. It was a place where he could simply be himself, with Cyrus by his side and the cool sting of the chains against his palms. In this park, on this swing, he could almost always find solace.

But not today.

He was trying his best to listen to whatever it was Cyrus was babbling about, but his mind kept drifting to the conversation he’d had with his teammates less than an hour earlier.

They’d been cooling off in the locker room, water streaming down their faces and damp towels draped over their shoulders, and one of the older boys had said something about a girl he’d been flirting with for a few weeks. TJ had feigned interest – smiling and nodding and sprinkling in jokes whenever he saw fit – but then the situation had gotten out of hand.

“What about you, Kippen?” one of his teammates had asked him. “You got your eye on anyone at the moment?”

Before he’d been able to respond, a bunch of the guys had started teasing him about Buffy, and the conversation had quickly shifted into an appreciative discussion of ‘The Slayer’, and how they missed having a pretty girl to ogle at during the games.

TJ had jumped to Buffy’s defence, threatening to give hell to anyone who dared to say another perverse word about his friend, but the boys had simply taken it as a confirmation of his feelings for her.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since he’d left the gym.

It wasn’t the idea of having a crush on Buffy that was messing with his head – his feelings for her were hesitantly platonic, at most – but the fact that he’d felt absolutely nothing when his teammates had been gushing about all of the attractive girls they knew, and how it hadn’t even occurred to TJ that most of these girls were considered attractive in the first place.

He glanced to his left, where Cyrus was still ranting about the various textures of chocolate muffins, and wondered if it was normal to think of another boy as ‘pretty’.  

With his soft skin, fluffy hair, and Bambi-like eyes, Cyrus was prettier than any girl TJ had ever met, and it baffled him how anyone could overlook someone as gorgeous as Cyrus in favour of a skinny waist and big boobs – two things that TJ had zero interest in.

He was still staring at the side of Cyrus’ face when the words slipped out, taking himself by surprise: “I think I swing a different way.”

Cyrus stopped talking and looked at him, his hands suspended in the air mid-rant. “Sorry, did you say something?”

TJ froze. Here, he had the opportunity to take his words back – to shove his frenzied, out-of-the-blue confession back into the endless pit of secrets in the back of his mind and never speak of it again. Or, if he was tired of being dishonest with himself and the people around him, he could finally fess up and confide in the one person he trusted above anyone else in his life.

“I said I swing a different way,” he blurted out, his cheeks flushing an embarrassing shade of pink.

Cyrus frowned. “So? You can swing whatever way you want to.”

“Really?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not that big a deal.”

TJ deflated slightly, his fear quickly morphing into disappointment. He was relieved Cyrus wasn’t disgusted by him or anything, but he’d been hoping for more of a reaction – maybe a hug, or at least a smile. Instead, he just seemed indifferent.

“Thanks for understanding,” he said, kicking at the woodchips beneath his feet. “It feels good to finally come out, you know? I’ve been keeping it bottled up for so long.”

He looked at Cyrus again, and now it was _his_ turn to frown. The other boy was practically gawking at him, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in a cartoonish display of shock. TJ could feel his anxieties prickling his skin once again, his heart thumping with the certainty that Cyrus had changed his mind in the past few seconds and was about to cut off their friendship for good.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Cyrus shook his head and blinked a few times. “I... I thought you were talking about actual swinging. Like, on the swings.”

TJ’s stomach dropped.

“I’m sorry,” Cyrus said, his own cheeks heating up as TJ jumped off the swing and brushed himself down. “I’m an idiot. I should’ve realised what you were trying to tell me.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Cyrus grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. “Wait! We should talk about this, TJ.”

“Why?”

“Because you just came out to me! This is pretty huge, right?”

TJ huffed. “Not really. I just wanted to get it off my chest, and you’re one of the only people I trust.”

Cyrus’ expression softened. He tugged on TJ’s arm, prompting him to sit back down, and drew their swings closer together. With them only a few inches apart, TJ could see the little indents in Cyrus’ lips where he’d been chewing them. Even now, with a potentially heart-breaking conversation looming over him, all he wanted to do was lean forward and kiss Cyrus. It was an unhealthy urge he’d been struggling with for a while now.

“You know you have nothing to be ashamed of, right?” Cyrus said, his hand slipping down TJ’s arm and brushing his knuckles. “Some people swing high; some people swing low; some people swing from side to side; some people don’t like to swing at all... It doesn’t really matter, as long as you’re being true to yourself.”

TJ raised an eyebrow. “Is that some weird metaphor for sexuality or something?”

Cyrus laughed. “It sounded better in my head. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to keep apologising.”

“I guess I’m just nervous.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know.” Cyrus flicked his eyes to TJ, a bashful smile touching his lips. “Maybe I understand what you’re going through more than you realise, and I want you to know that you have my support.”

TJ felt Cyrus’ hand nudging against his palm, silently asking for permission before threading their fingers together. His heart leapt into his throat at the slightest brush of skin against skin, his breath coming short as he looked into Cyrus’ eyes.

“Which way do _you_ swing?” he asked in a whisper, his jaw twitching.

Cyrus smirked. “You’ve seen me on the swings, TJ. I swing as low and slow as possible.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.” He bit back a smile, his teeth carving another indent into the plump flesh of his bottom lip. “Let’s just say we’re definitely swinging in the same direction.”

TJ grinned.

That was all the answer he needed.


End file.
